Friendship
by Leopardfield of SnowClan
Summary: An emotional story about a bitter bully and her decision to leave. WillowClan Monthly Writing Challenge. "Sometimes, if you just take a step back, you can have a whole new perspective. Sometimes, if you leave, you might even decide to come back. And when you do, everything will be different." Oneshot, but long. K for safety.


Sunlight streamed through the entrance of the den, lighting up the dust in the air and warming up the sleeping red body of one very tired apprentice. Nobody dared to wake her up for fear of snarls and insults that frequently spouted from the currently peaceful mouth. Vixenpaw was having a very nice morning sleep - that is until Sagepaw tripped over her. The den fell silent as Vixenpaw raised up her head and scowled at the terrified brown cat.

"Well, well, well," she drawled. "Look who can't control where his paws go." Sagepaw winced, causing Vixenpaw to smirk. It delighted her to strike fear in the cheerful apprentice's heart. She looked around the den, her lazy eyes still averting gazes from Blossompaw, Duskpaw, Streampaw and Jaypaw. Her gaze rested, however, on Foxpaw, who defiantly held his chin up and held her gaze. She liked Foxpaw just a bit more than the others. He was stronger willed than the rest, had a similar name as her, and also was pretty handsome.

She broke the contact and looked back at Sagepaw. _Today I'll let him go. _"Let's hope his and his friends' paws scurry out of this den before he screws something else up." A brief look of relief passed over his face before the message struck home and he awkwardly picked up his paws as fast as he could and raced out of the den. The rest of the group followed suit. But before Foxpaw had completely left, he turned around with a message of, "Let's also hope that the now awake apprentice's paws get up as well, or else one mentor might no be so happy."

Mousebile! She had training with Heatherflight today! Vixenpaw opened up her mouth for a scathing reply, but shut it, seeing as he was gone and also, more embarrassingly, right. She got up and stretched. Hunting awaited!

(After hunting trip)

_Woohoo! Two mice and a vole._ Placing them on the freshkill pile, she turned around to see Streampaw with her jaws full with three plump squirrels and two robins under her chin. _WHAT!? Like, not fair. Jesus Christ had to do with this one. Duskpaw must have shown her some tricks. But why not me?! For this, for this they will pay._ She smiled at Streampaw, now chatting with her brother, Jaypaw, as she planned revenge.

Now, it was a little secret of hers that Streampaw had a crush on Duskpaw. Duskpaw also liked her - two facts she had learned from eavesdropping that she saved for future manipulation. Now, if she simply told Duskpaw's father, who wanted him with Blossompaw, that she had seen them twining tails and whispering to each other, they would be ruined - seeing as Duskpaw's father, Stormstrike, was the deputy. Oh, this was perfect!

She started walking to the medicine cat den, where she knew Stormstrike was, when she heard the sounds of laughter. Oh, how she hated that sound!_ Only when it didn't include her. Which is not a lot these days_. She banished the weak thought and decided the creep closer.

"That's hilarious, Blossompaw!" The voice of Sagepaw rose in in excitement. "Tell another!"

"Alright... soooo, this bumble-footed cat trips over this mean one..."

Foxpaw laughs and Sagepaw groans, paralleling the exasperation Vixenpaw felt. She still waited though, until she could butt in and make them quiver for not including her.

Blossompaw continues. "And the mean one gets mad and chases him to the Mud Pool." Ah, the Mud Pool. A constantly muddy area by the stream. Does she push him in?

"He leaps atop a log, making the mean one look up and trip over a rock, making her fall face forward into the icky, sticky mud!" The group erupted into laughter.

Vixenpaw rolled her eyes._ Figures._ But her ears pricked up when Foxpaw started to talk.

"So, two freshkill pieces are on the freshkill pile. One says, 'Boy, it stinks in here!' What does the other one say?"

"Umm, 'I know right?'" Jaypaw said, joining in with Streampaw in tow.

"Oh, hey Jaypaw! Glad you joined the party," Duskpaw said. "So, is that the answer, Foxpaw?"

"Nope!" he replied, popping the P.

"So, what does it say?" Streampaw pressed.

"Yeah, what does it say?" Sagepaw asked.

"It says..." Foxpaw paused for dramatic affect, "OH MY GOD JESUS CHRIST" The group exploded with laughter. Vixenpaw herself had to suppress a giggle. After the laughter quieted down, Blossompaw remarked, "Boy, I'm glad Vixenpaw isn't here to spoil the fun!"

The offhanded stung more than a bee. The rest of the apprentice's agreements made her eyes sting as well, and a tear rolled down her cheek - the first tear in a very long time, since she began to hurt others. They had shunned her for being weird, random, trying too hard to make friends to make up for her siblings and parents who had died in sickness. She had cried - and then decided to make them see that she was strong, that she didn't need friends.

Friends. Many moons later they were all friends, leaving her out, shuddering when she taunted them but brushing it off, healing their tears together.

Nobody had helped her with her tears when she cried many moons ago, and the weren't going to now. Or ever.

She would never find a mate, or be liked, or be helped. It was better to just leave. She would be better alone.

She walked out of the shadows behind the group, invisible to them. It was only when she was just leaving the camp when Duskpaw, who turned around, commented to the group, "Looks like the mean little vixen decided to do some more hunting." Streampaw looked around and smiled. "You should have seen her face when I brought in more prey than her. She's probably trying to do better than me." This caused more laughter from the group, clear and sharp to the apprentice in the forest. It stabbed like vicious claws.

(1 Moon Later, Clan)

All eyes were set on Froststar as she padded up to the High Rock. Every cat knew what was to be said, and yet they dreaded it with all their hearts.

After a second, Froststar sighed and began. "I come to High Rock with a heavy heart, as must most of you. But our trips out into the forest and the surrounding territory have caused sickness and weariness for cats on patrol. We must call off these search parties - " At this the clan, mostly the apprentices, protested in an uproar of mews and yowls. Froststar waited with closed eyes until it settled down. "We must presume that in this weather, Vixenpaw cannot survive on her own." Silence from the clan, as the cold hard logic sunk in. "It is costing us hunting warriors to look for a likely deceased apprentice. I regret to make this decision, but it must be made. Goo-" She paused. She couldn't make herself say 'good day.' "Have a better day." As she leaped off the High Rock the crowd thinned to just the apprentices. Sagepaw was the first to speak up.

"I wonder if I hadn't tripped over her that morning, she would sti-"

"That's nonsense, Sagepaw. There's nothing you could do," Duskpaw cut it.

"But what if we could have?" Streampaw whispered, her voice barely audible. "I got more prey than her that morning, maybe she went out hunting to try to beat me and met a-a b-badger or something and, and," Her voice got louder and started cracking, then abruptly stopped.

Foxpaw sighed. "There's nothing anybody could have done. I'm sorry."

"He's right, Streamy. There's nothing you could do." Jaypaw nuzzled her sister in sympathy. Sagepaw piped up, "You sure? Are you absolutely sure? _Completely_ sure?!" Duskpaw twitched and mumbled, "Umm... not quite..."

"Then how can you disprove us?" Sagepaw demanded. Foxpaw started with,"Well, you can't be comp-"

"Shut up." Blossompaw's voice rang bitter and clear. Everybody turned to the white and red figure. She slowly raised her tearstained face. "You all know how Vixenpaw loved to spy on us?" The rest of the apprentices nodded. "I'm fairly sure she was spying on us during the conversation before she left 'hunting'." Streampaw opened her mouth to argue, but Blossompaw cut her off before she could start. "She left right after I said, 'Boy, I'm glad Vixenpaw isn't here to spoil the fun!'" There was stunned silence from the group. "I think she _left_. On purpose. And now she's dead." Blossompaw finished, her voice catching on the last word. During the next minute, various apprentices opened their mouths to speak, and shut them a few moments after.

"Well, that, just means I'm _right_, doesn't it." Blossompaw got up and trotted to the apprentice den, leaving the other apprentices silent as the newly falling snow.

(Same Approximate Time, Vixenpaw)

Snow streamed through the entrance of the cave, chilling the air and freezing the sleeping red body of a very tired apprentice. Vixenpaw woke up with hunger in her belly and absolutely freezing. Leafbare had not been a very good time to leave camp. She groaned and turned over to go back to sleep when she got an obstinate rumble from her belly. Oh. That's right. She had to hunt. Vixenpaw hadn't caught anything yesterday or the day before that. She rolled out of the cave with bleary eyes to try to catch some prey.

Vixenpaw decided to go to the stream today. She hadn't gone there before, since it was so close to clan territory, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She padded down to the riverside when she spotted a flash of brown. She froze, crouched down and slowly pivoted to direction she saw it. She caught her breath._ A vole. And a plump one too. _She tensed and pounced, killing it with a single bite. With a sense of triumph she smiled. As she turned away, the frozen river caught her eye.

_I wonder what I look like_. She trotted over to the river and looked at her reflection.

Instantly she averted her gaze, then carefully looked again.

She looked horrible. Her once luscious fur was now matted and dirty and her ribs poked out. Her green eyes were red-shot and bleary and her long muzzle was blooded and caked with mud.

Vixenpaw turned away. Despite the meal she had caught there and her success, she never went to the stream again.

(3 Moons Later, Clan)

Jaypaw was prodded awake by Blossompaw. "Hey. Jaypaw, Jay, get up. I wanna go hunting." Jaypaw groaned. _Great_. Blossompaw now never went hunting without somebody. Usually it was him. She had been pretty shaken by the..._incident_, and the two had bonded. He got up on his feet and stumbled out of the den - also, into Streampaw and Duskpaw. He shook his head. "Sorry guys. Blossompaw just got me up to go hunting."

"Oh," Streampaw looked at Duskpaw and he saw that look go between them that meant they both agreed on something without saying it. Somehow. "We can go with you," Duskpaw offered. Jaypaw looked at his sister, who nodded.

"Umm, sure," he replied. Blossompaw butted in with, "Yay, more people!" Jaypaw smiled, as did the two volunteers. "Alright, let's get going," Blossompaw said, walking out of the camp. The other three followed her into the springtime forest.

(Same time, Vixenpaw)

A shaking russet paw took a cautious step over an invisible line. Another followed suit, then after the first two headed forward, a third and a fourth. This was it. Vixenpaw was going to hunt inside Clan's borders. She had to. Twolegs had cut down much of the forest on her side, and prey was scared away from what little there was. Now, only a little inside their borders, but she still had to pray that she still had some of their scent.

_Springtime on this side almost seems better - richer, happier._ She dismissed the thought and began to hunt, sniffing the air, crouching down. She _was_ going to catch something this time. She could feel it.

She heard a rustle in the bushes, and a voice saying, "Come on, not so near the border!"

(Hunting Party)

Streampaw had caught a mouse and a chickadee so far, but Blossompaw hadn't caught any. Probably why she went close to the border. Jaypaw called out to her, "Come on, not so near the border!"

A growl was heard as Streampaw caught up to the bushes Blossompaw was by. She poked her head through the bushes. _A fox_. She recoiled and stumbled backwards. "A fox!" she cried. Jaypaw gasped, and then narrowed his eyes and jumped through the bushes. "JAY!" she and Blossom cried out at the same time. Duskpaw followed Jaypaw, forcing Streampaw to follow him. Blossompaw, after a moment's hesitation, did the same.

"It's only a little one, sis," Jaypaw said over his shoulder. "We can take it out."

Blossompaw snuck a peek at it from behind Jaypaw. Red fur matted and muddy, it was an ugly sight. Not to mention the unusually flat muzzle for a fox, and the sharp green eyes.

_Familiar_ sharp green eyes.

It clicked, and she gasped. She ran in front of the of the fight-ready boys and skidded around to face them. "DON"T KILL HER!" she cried.

The other apprentices leaned back in confusion. Her?

(Vixenpaw)

A red haze filled Vixenpaw's eyes. Enemies were trying to attack her! She growled as a silver head was stuck out of the bushes. It quickly vanished, substituted by a different silver enemy and a gray one. The first silver one came as well, and a white and red one too.

"It's only a little one, sis. We can take it out." _Kill me?! Not likely!_ She crouched to attack when the white one gasped and ran in front of her. Vixenpaw recoiled in surprise. "DON"T KILL HER!" it cried.

Vixenpaw blinked a few times and looked at the face of her defendant. Something about the flower-like red marks around her right eye was familiar...The red haze cleared and she exclaimed in surprise, "Blossompaw?"

(Hunting Party)

"Blossompaw?" the fox said in surprise.

Duskpaw blinked. Foxes didn't talk. So this wasn't a fox...

"VIXENPAW!" Jaypaw said it first. "You're alive!"

Streampaw bounded up to her and was about to lick her in greeting when she stopped and looked and Vixenpaw's fur. "No wonder we didn't recognize you..."Vixenpaw laughed. "Well, there wasn't exactly anybody to help me keep clean in the forest."

"What happened to you? We missed you!" Blossompaw exclaimed. Vixenpaw laughed, cold and sharp. "As if. Miss the bully who tormented you most of your apprenticeship?" Streampaw nodded. "Yes. We thought you were dead." Vixenpaw nodded. "Indeed. Best keep it that way."

"WHY?!" Duskpaw yelled. "We're your friends."

It stung Vixenpaw almost as much as Blossompaw's remark all those moons ago. A tear traced down her face. "I don't have _friends_," she spat, her voice cold and cracking. She closed her eyes as the tears continued down her face. In a softer voice, she said, "Just enemies."

She felt a tail on her shoulder and opened her eyes. It was Streampaw. Streampaw smiled and said, "It doesn't have to be that way."

Vixenpaw, for the first time in a very long while, felt truly happy. She buried her head in Streampaw's shoulder. And Streampaw, just then, didn't care one bit how dirty Vixenpaw was.

They all walked back to camp for one very odd greeting.

Foxpaw was the first to see the party come back. For a second he didn't comprehend the dirty red cat with them. But then his brown eyes connected with those green, and he knew. For a few seconds more he still didn't completely comprehend, and once it sunk in Jaypaw had already started with a simple, "I have an announcement. A lost _friend_ of ours," at this he looked at Vixenpaw, who smiled. He continued, "has been found." As more of the clan gathered around, gasps and cheers began.

The happy sounds floated up into the sky, all the way to StarClan. Three watching kits smiled. Vixenpaw, their sister, had found friends. A long time of waiting was over. They looked up at their parents, and then down back to earth. Sunlight streamed onto the happy Clan, lighting up eyes and warming hearts with the fire of friendship of magic.


End file.
